a journal of finding good food and restaurants i love to eat in Taipei when I'm not in Los Angeles. looking forward to hearing from other food lovers about where your favorite places to eat are, so i can try them next!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

2nd Annual 2009 Best of Taipei Restaurants Readers' Favorites Poll

It'a that time of year again! I had a lot of fun finding out what your favorite eats in Taipei were last year and I'm hoping more readers will share this year. Copy and paste the area below, fill in the ones you want to vote for and paste in the comments section.

I've added a few fun categories that I hope you guys will participate in... I know some of you are visitors, so you can share what you miss when you're not here!

VOTING

Voting will be open from November 24th - December 26th. There must be a minimum of 5 categories filled out (with different restaurants) in order for the vote to be counted. For example, you cannot fill out the same restaurant in 3 categories and nothing else. But if you really love that restaurant, vote for it in the applicable 3 categories and fill out 4 other categories, then it will count.

I changed it from "best" to "favorite" because some people told me it was too much pressure to declare something the "best" when they hadn't eaten everything. It's okay if you haven't tried everywhere in Taipei! No one has. It does not have to be a restaurant I've reviewed. So just vote for your favorites!

You don't have to have a google account to vote. Just pick the "name" or "anonymous" option and put in your first name or initials if you don't want to put in your name.

Also feel free to campaign for your restaurant or favorite eatery on Facebook, Twitter or your website with a link to this page. But only votes on this post will count.

I will tabulate and announce the winners by January 15th, 2010 (fingers crossed!).

Favorite Restaurant in Taipei – Hui Guan (Xinyi north of Tonghua Road)Favorite New Restaurant in 2009 – So Free (are they “new”? they were new to me in 2009)Favorite Cheap Eats - shrimp roll people in Dihua Street next to the marketFavorite Special Occasion Restaurant – Mountain Tea House (they have good food, too – lemon diced chicken, sweet potato leaves, mountain pig) on Maokong

Favorite French Restaurant – Maison Alexandre, Tianmu – they’re not “fine French food” but I like their duck sandwich

Favorite Indian Restaurant – ooh this is hard. I am going to go this year with Calcutta Indian Food in Ximen (Exotic Masala House is good but their curries are milder now. Ali Baba is great but needs beer. Tandoor is hit-and-miss. So Calcutta it is).Favorite Mexican/TexMex/Spanish Restaurant – Yuma (Tex Mex)Favorite Thai Restaurant – Yangon (Gongguan)Favorite Vietnamese/Southeast Asian Restaurant – the tiny one in Xindian market for cheap good soup, Pho 99 or whatever it’s called in Breeze Taipei Main for higher-end (if I can only vote for one you can randomly choose one of these 2)Favorite Korean Restaurant – Korean Restaurant (Shida lanes)Favorite American/Western Restaurant – The Diner

Best Ramen – that ramen shop on Zhongshan N Road just south of Whose BooksBest Beef Noodle Soup – my local joint in Jingmei (Jingmei MRT Exit 2, straight ahead)Best Xiao Long Bao – Shanghai DumplingBest Dim SumBest Hamburger – Grandma Nitti’s (probably not the best in Taipei but I like ‘em)

Favorite Food I Miss When I'm Away From Taipei – Sichuan restaurant with the crazy chef in YongheFavorite Food That Needs to Be Brought To Taipei – EthiopianFavorite Restaurant that Needs to Open a Branch in Taipei – Amma Vegetarian Kitchen from Washington DC

I like your list. (aside from the Mos burger but you got me back at BK). lol.

If you like Villa 32, the VVGs, Saffron, Eddy's, and Saveur, you should check out Papa Gio and Masa to replace your pizza and sushi/sashimi choices respectively.

If you really want to blow your socks off go to "el toro". I haven't seen Joan review them so maybe I am the only one that has mentioned it here but it will boggle your mind that we have this level in Taipei.

elektronisk: i went to El Toro once, for lunch, but Chef Daniel didn't cook the meal (he was working at a table near by and took a meeting outside) and they didn't have paella (has to be preordered) so I figure I need to go for dinner once when he's cooking to give it a fair review. Heard really great things about it. I do want to try Masa and Papa Gio! thanks!!

I wanted to add a recommendation for El Toro. If you go there on weekdays, the restaurant is less busy, or you can call ahead and let them know you want Chef Daniel to cook for you. I know he's been busy with several projects recently (including a recently published cookbook), but he's very friendly and accomodating. The food there is excellent!

Favorite Chinese Breakfast: There's two of my favorite places where I used to live on Zhuang Jing Road but I don't know the names of them. One is a typical soybean milk place - the best soybean milk and also open at night time - and the other makes awesome French Toast (Taiwanese style). I have to take you there some time!

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